The 2022 US News law school rankings have been released, setting the “official” standard by which schools will be compared to one another for the next twelve months. In this episode, Jon and Dave offer their take on this year’s rankings, including the controversial metrics and weighting involved, the most prominent winners and losers as schools rise and fall, and—above all—exactly what these rankings mean to you as an applicant! … [Read more...]
Why Did the 2022 US News Law Rankings Change?
This blog is brought to you by a special guest, Ana the Analyst. It is ranking season! One of the biggest questions that always comes up during this fretful period of US News change is, “Well, why did so-and-so rise? What terrible horrors befell Princeton Law that caused their drop of one whole place in the ranking?” This spreadsheet attempts to answer those questions for you with a category-by-category break-out of publicly available changes. … [Read more...]
Law School Application Submission, Acceptance, and Attendance Numbers
Although applications are up 20% so far in 2021, it never hurts to look at law school acceptance rates from previous years. Once you know how many applications are submitted, how many students are accepted, and the percentage of accepted students that ultimately choose to attend, you’ll get a better understanding of the competitiveness for each school.We pulled this data from the ABA Required Disclosures site, which we encourage you to visit … [Read more...]
Which Law Schools Offer the Most Grants & Scholarships?
The majority of law school students receive some type of financial aid. Why pay full price if you don’t have to? By reviewing each school’s scholarship structure, you will gain a better understanding of your grant and scholarship chances and the financial range of how much money you should expect. The data below may also help you when comparing any offers you receive.Note that need-based aid is not included in this chart.For more stats … [Read more...]
LSAT Podcast Episode 81: Why Is This Law School Admissions Cycle So Competitive?
The competitiveness of the 2021 law school admissions cycle is well-established, but a closer look at the numbers—both of applicants and LSAT scores—shows just how unprecedented this year truly is. Join Dave and Jon as they examine the current situation and explain everything from the astonishing high-score bubble the Flex has created to exactly what you should expect as a result! … [Read more...]
What LSAT Score Do You Need for Law School?
Are you trying to figure out your target LSAT score? You should always research your goal law schools early on and find out the score range of the most recent first year class. Although you can find this information on each school’s website, we thought it would be helpful to show you all of them in one place.The LSAT scores represented are for students who were admitted in 2020. LSAT Percentiles What do the percentiles mean? These numbers … [Read more...]
Should I Apply to Law School This Year or Wait ’til Next Year?
For many students, these first two months of the year are filled with preparation, questions, and doubts. Chief among them is this: What's better--to apply late in the admissions cycle (i.e., right around now), or to wait and apply right at the beginning of the next one (i.e., in September of this year, thus postponing law school for a year)?Most students asking this question have similar sets of circumstances (they typically revolve around … [Read more...]
Which Law Schools Offer Part Time Programs?
Part-time programs can be a great option for students who need to continue working full time while attending law school. If you’re trying to decide if this is the right move for you, check out this blog post here that lists the pros and cons of attending a part-time law program. Looking for the right fit? The following law schools offer part time programs:American University (Washington) Brooklyn Law School California Western School … [Read more...]
When Should You NOT Contact the Admissions Office?
I recently received a question from one of the students in our law school admissions counseling program: I was checking the status of one of my applications through the status checker that's provided by the school, and I saw that they had put me in the "reviewed, no decision made" category. What can I do to make them speed up the process? Should I send them an email? I don't really have much to update, but I can tell them that I saw the status … [Read more...]
Waiting on Law School Decisions? Don’t Forget Your Mental Health
In many sports, the “silly season” is the name given to the offseason, when there are no games but there is a lot of deal-making going on. In law school admissions, I think of the silly season as the period we are in now: from January until roughly May. This is when many law school decisions will be handed down, and negotiations over financial aid take place. But while this is a benign nickname for this period, it is also one of the most … [Read more...]
What’s the Deal with Addenda?
There is now a PowerScore LSAT PodCast episode that expands on this popular blog post: Episode 78: What's the Deal With Addenda? There are several things that can cause students to freak out when applying to law school. Some students worry about the relative “prestige” of their undergraduate institution and how schools will view that during the admissions process. Some have concerns about their choice of major, letters of recommendation, or … [Read more...]
Law School Personal Statements: The Drafting is Never Done
At this time of year, many students are trying to write their personal statements. It can be incredibly tough, so don’t give up! Over the years I’ve read thousands of personal statement drafts, and I want to share one of the most important tips: When you think your draft is final, it’s not. That may seem overly harsh, so let me explain.The Goal is Perfection, and Perfection Takes Time I get it: writing about yourself is no fun and feels … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 10, Don’t Be Afraid
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Don't Be Afraid Well, we're at the conclusion of this 10-part series on … [Read more...]
Writing Your Personal Statement, Part 9: Proof
Although all components of a law school application are important, the most important one is the personal statement. To that end, this series explains some of the pivotal points you should keep in mind as you prepare to write your law school application personal statement. This is a 10-part series that will help get you from starting to finishing your personal statement. Proof Once you self-edit and have others read and give feedback on your … [Read more...]